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Chromium Recovery from Nickel-cobalt Laterite and Laterite Leach Residue.

Kirby DE; George DR; Daellenbach CB

MISSING :22 pages

10006369

In line with the Bureau of Mines goal of providing technology to maintain a supply of minerals adequate to meet national economic and strategic needs, a method for recovering chromite from lateritic material was investigated. Laterites are a large resource of ni, CO, and cr, critical metals of which the United States has insufficient domestic sources. A roast-leach method was developed by the Bureau to extract nickel and cobalt from domestic laterites. A concurrent effort was made to recover chromium from either unprocessed laterites or the leach residues. This report characterizes laterites and laterite leach residues. It describes a chromite recovery procedure using conventional industrial beneficiation equipment for sizing, low-intensity magnetic separation, and gravity concentration. Concentrates containing 20.0 to 22.4 pct cr (29.0 to 32.7 pct cr2o3) and with a 1.6:1 to 1.9:1 Cr- fe ratio was recovered from laterites and residues containing 1.3 To 2.5 pct cr with recoveries exceeding 50 pct. Because of their low grade and fine size, these concentrates would be suitable for preparing chromium chemicals. The direct beneficiation of laterites for chromite recovery resulted in the minerals containing nickel and cobalt concentrating in slime products. No iron oxide coproducts of acceptable grade were recovered from either laterites or residues.

19820101

IH; Report of Investigations

1982

RI 8676

ALRC;

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